Chapter Nine - Effects of Sexual Experience on Psychostimulant- and Opiate-Induced Behavior and Neural Plasticity in the Mesocorticolimbic Pathway

Publication date: 2018Source: International Review of Neurobiology, Volume 140Author(s): Lauren N. Beloate, Lique M. CoolenAbstractMany factors, including social elements, influence drug addiction in humans and can be modeled in laboratory rodents. In general, the presence of social reward is protective against drug abuse and the absence or removal of social reward in both humans and rodents increases vulnerability to drug addiction. The current review chapter is focused on studies from our lab that have examined the effects of sociosexual behavior in male rats on drug-induced behaviors, including changes in both psychostimulant and opiate behavior. Furthermore, we review the underlying neural mechanisms by which these effects occur. Together, these results may help elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the interaction between social and drug rewards and the mechanisms by which a loss of social rewards increase the vulnerability to drug addiction development.
Source: International Review of Neurobiology - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research